Solitaire Game

We here at the Journal office love SJGames' new collectable card game Illuminati: New World Order, but since it can sometimes be hard to find
another person to play against (we are quite busy around here) we developed this variation of the game which allows you to play it as solitaire. It is not terribly easy; with our cards around here we only win about 25% of the time, but your milage may var
y. A game takes about 20 minutes or so to play. The rules may appear to be quite complex, but believe us, they are a lot easier than the normal INWO rules (which one Journal staffer has compared to "Dragon Poker"). Unless otherwi
se stated, all regular rules for Illuminati: New World Order are in effect throughout the game.

(Just for fun, we've also put together a bunch of new groups for INWO, which you may wish to take a peek at.)

Set-Up

Take all of your unused cards, i.e. those not in any already made up deck (you can also use a starter deck, if you so desire). Divide them into three decks: Illuminati cards; Plot cards; and Group and Resource cards (i.e. the red puppet backed cards).
Shuffle all three decks.

Take the top card from your Illuminati deck. This is your Illuminati for the game. Set aside the rest of the Illuminati cards; they will not be used for the remainder of the game.

Take the top card from your Group and Resource deck. If this card is a group, add it to your power structure. This is the only free group you'll get for the entire game, so hope that it's a good one! If the card is a resource, set it aside and take th
e next card, until you turn up a group.

Deal off the next fifteen cards from your Group and Resource deck. This is your Target deck, which will be used in play. Set aside the rest of the Group and Resource cards; they will not be used for the remainder of the game.

Take the top card from your Plot deck. If this card is a goal card, place it to the side of the playing area; this card can serve as an alternate goal for your victory conditions. If it is a New World Order card, place it to the side of the playing ar
ea; it is in effect at the start of the game. If it is any other card that is not a disaster or an assassination card, set it in front of you as the start of your hand for the game. If it is a disaster or an assassination card, discard it; you get no card
for your hand at the start of the game. Life is unfair.

Deal off the next fifteen cards from the Plot deck. This is your Plot deck to be used in the game. Set aside the rest of the Plot cards; they will not be used for the remainder of the game.

You are now ready to proceed with play.

The Play

Add action tokens. You may add two actions: one to your Illuminati, and one to any other group in your power structure, or any resource you have that requires action tokens.

Turn over the top card from your Plot and Target decks. Although you turn over the cards at the same time, the action/result from the Plot deck occurs first.

Use the Plot card you turned over according to the following:

If it is a Goal card, you may set the card to the side of the playfield and use it as an alternative goal. If you already have an alternative goal, you must discard your old goal. If you choose not to accept the Goal you just turned over, discard it.
If you are playing the U.F.O.s, you may have up to three Goal cards in play. (Note: the standard goal, or the special goal for your Illuminati, or the Goal card currently in play, may all be used for victory; see below.)

If it is a New World Order card, place it to the side of the play area; it comes into effect immediately. If there is already a NWO card of the same color in effect, discard the old card and replace it with the new card.

If it is a Disaster card, the card attacks any eligible Place in your power structure! If there is more than one eligible Place, you may choose which of the Places the Disaster strikes. Treat this as a normal instant attack; you may not interfere unle
ss you have plots or groups that specifically allow you to interfere. If there aren't any eligible Places for the Disaster to attack, it goes off to the discard pile, and you luck out.

If it is an Assassination card, the card attacks any eligible Personality in your power structure! If there is more than one eligible Personality , you may choose which of the Personalities the Assassination strikes. Treat this as a normal instant att
ack; you may not interfere unless you have plots or groups that specifically allow you to interfere. If there aren't any eligible Personalities for the Assassination to attack, it goes off to the discard pile, and you luck out.

If it is any other Plot card, you have three choices:

Have it take effect immediately. If it requires an action from a group, you must pay the required action token(s) to use the Plot card immediately.

Place the Plot card in your hand, to be used later. You may have a maximum of three Plot cards in your hand at any one time. If adding this card to your hand brings you plot card total to four, you must immediately discard one of your other cards to b
ring your total back down to three (you do not get an action token for this discard).

Discard the Plot card.

Use the card from your Target deck according to the following:

If it is a Resource card, you may take the Resource and place it to the side of the play field. The resource may be used as you see fit. If the card requires action tokens, you do not automatically get an action token for it. Life is unfair. If you do
not wish to take the resource, you may discard it.

If it is a Group, Place, or Personality card which you do not already have in your power structure, you may attempt to control or destroy it as normal. A Group in your power structure must have an action token to participate in the attack, and that ac
tion token is spent if the group participates. If you succeed, add it to the appropriate place in your power structure (or if destroyed, add it to a 'kill' pile). If you fail, the card goes to the discard pile, free from your influence (for this game, at
least).

If it is a Group, Place, or Personality card which is already in your power structure, the card you just turned up will attempt to attack the corresponding group of yours! It will either attck to control or destroy, which ever is better for it. It doe
s get the +10 for being the same group; life is unfair. But you do get to add bonuses for closeness to your Illuminati, if applicable. You may attempt to interfere with this attack as normal. If the attack succeeds, the group of yours and all its puppets
and sub-puppets must be discarded! If the attack fails, the duplicate card wanders off to the discard pile.

Move action tokens. Any action tokens that are still remaining may be moved from a group in your power structure to its master or any of its puppets. If your Illuminati still has its action token, it may be moved to any group in your power structure.<
p>

Trade in Plot cards for action tokens. You may discard any plot card in your hand in exchange for one action token, which you place place on any group in your power structure.

Go on to your next turn by moving back to step 1 above. If you are out of cards in your Target deck, and you have not met any of your victory conditions (see below), time has run out and you lose!

If you fail to acheive any of these victory conditions by the time you run out of cards in your Target deck, you lose! Reshuffle all your cards and start the game over.
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